Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America, Americas

"Explore the real Argentina, from glaciers, to Buenos Aires, waterfalls and the world-wide recognised beautiful Patagonia!"

Don’t just skim the surface – get to know the real Argentina with this in-depth 15-day tour. Visit some of the country’s highlights including its cosmopolitan capital, the world-famous Perito Moreno Glacier, spectacular waterfalls and Patagonia. Starting in Buenos Aires, you’ll discover the sights and sounds of Argentina’s European capital at your own pace, with a few free days in which to explore. Visit Eva Peron’s grave in the Recoleta Cemetery, absorb the passionate Tango culture in the famous La Boca and San Telmo districts, and revel in the city’s Parisian atmosphere. Next, travel south to El Calafate, a small Patagonian town and the gateway to the Los Glaciares National Park. Here you’ll visit the spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier, a two-mile wide icy colossus.

Journey into the Bariloche lakes district in northern Patagonia; Latin America’s answer to Switzerland, the district is famed for its chalets, dramatic scenery and delicious chocolate. Discover the Llao Llao Peninsula’s rich wildlife and the beautiful scenery surrounding Mount Campanario, before heading to Salta. This provincial capital is renowned for its excellent wines and colourful desert landscapes, providing a fantastic contrast to mountainous Patagonia. Bringing your tour to a climactic close is a visit to the Iguazú Falls, one of the world’s most awesome sights. Feel the spray of the falls on your face, and know that you’ll never forget this moment.

Chimu Adventures aims to minimise its impact on the environment and support local communities in any way possible. The company strives to source guides, meals and transport from the communities it operates in rather than importing. Chimu Adventures prides itself on the fact that all operations for this tour are carried out by locally-owned companies, and they select locally-owned hotels which share their values in terms of social and environmental responsibility. The company's guides are highly experienced and qualified, and are paid above the minimum wage; since they are local, travellers are able to gain a more authentic insight into the communities and environments they visit.

Travellers are encouraged to minimise their carbon footprint whilst touring with Chimu Adventures, and are provided with information and advice on responsible waste disposal and how to offset carbon emissions. This ensures that guests are equipped with the knowledge necessary to help them protect the diverse ecosystems they visit. The company also practices what it preaches, with sustainability measures including carbon offsets for company/staff vehicles, and processes to help create paperless offices and reduce waste. Chimu’s ‘Pass it On’ programme empowers local people, providing funding to help Latin American communities develop their own infrastructure. Finally, Chimu Adventures also offers travellers the chance to make a positive impact by visiting community projects.

Day 1

Arrive in Buenos Aires and transfer to your hotel.

Day 2

Begin your Argentinian adventure with a tour of Buenos Aires. This will set the context for your tour nicely, as you learn more about the city’s incredible history, architecture, culture and people. You’ll explore some of the city’s highlights, including the Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron is buried, the famous Tango heartlands of the La Boca and San Telmo districts and the Casa Rosada Presidential Palace.

Day 3

Enjoy a free day to explore the city at your own pace. Take a day-trip across the river plate to Colonia, wander through the San Telmo antiques district or simply soak up the city’s Parisian atmosphere. In the evening, watch a Tango show in an intimate setting, as three singers, six dancers and four musicians perform in a wood-panelled 19th century bar. The show will chart the history of Argentina’s truest form of artistic expression, from its origins to the present day. Whilst watching the show you’ll enjoy a delicious à la carte dinner. At the end of the show a bus will return you to your hotel.

Day 4

Today you’ll travel to the airport for your domestic flight to El Calafate. You’ll then transfer to your hotel.

Day 5

Journey in the morning to Los Glaciares National Park, where you’ll see the famous Perito Moreno Glacier. This colossal glacier is one of only a few in the world that continues to advance and, if you’re lucky, you’ll witness the glacier calving. You’ll view its enormous front wall, and take a walk along a circuit that allows you to view both of the glacier’s faces as well as its surface. You’ll later return to Calafate by bus.

Day 6

Today you’ll embark on a boat trip, cruising along the northern arm of the Argentino Lake towards one of the Patagonian ice cap’s largest glaciers. Upsala glacier’s walls are over 20 metres high, and its front wall stretches to six kilometres! You’ll then head towards the park’s highest glacier before returning to El Calafate in the evening.

Day 7

Take a transfer to the airport for an onward flight from El Calafate to Bariloche. You’ll then check in to your hotel.

Day 8

Leave the city behind as you continue your tour in the Llao Llao Peninsula. The peninsula offers breath-taking views, and is home to a number of protected species. Starting on the southern shore of Lake Nahuel Huapi, you’ll journey to Mount Campanario where a short chairlift ride will carry you to the summit. Enjoy the rich and varied scenery, with thick forests, mountains and lakes to admire along the way.

Day 9

Take a boat trip to the Quetrihue Peninsula where you’ll visit the famous Arrayanes Wood, reputed to be the inspiration for Disney’s ‘Bambi’. This special forest is home to century-old trees as well as the Pudu-Pudu deer. You’ll later return to the boat to continue your trip to Victoria Island, where you’ll explore natural walkways and visit a nursey for coniferous trees.

Day 10

Transfer privately to the airport for a flight from Bariloche to Salta, then check in to your hotel.

Day 11

Travel south from Salta to El Carril, through the Laurel and Escoipe Gorges. You’ll then head up the Cuesta del Obispo, enjoying beautiful views of the Enchanted Valley below before arriving at the Mill Stone. This is the highest point of the trip, at an altitude of 3,384 metres. You’ll then journey across the Los Cardones National Park, named for the cactus plants that grow there. After a stop at the mountain town of Cachi, you’ll continue along Route 40 before arriving at your final destination of Cafayate, a sleepy town that will be your home for the night.

Day 12

Take a tour of Cafayate before hopping aboard a bus for a return journey. This time, you’ll follow Route 68, passing through the ‘Valley of Shells’. Here, wind and water erosion has formed recognisable shapes out of the vivid red rock.

Day 13

Fly from Salta to Iguasu, before transferring to your hotel.

Day 14

Rise early for a morning visit to the Iguazu Falls. Ride the Rainforest Ecological train and enjoy stunning panoramic views from above and below the falls. Next, visit the Devil’s Falls, and take an optional boat ride underneath the cascading water.

Day 15

Today you’ll see the falls from a different perspective – from the Brazilian side of the border. Once you’ve arrived at the visitor centre, you’ll board a bus for a tour of the park. Fitted out with panoramic windows, the buses are designed to give you optimum views of the falls. Walkways and steps allow you to get up close to the spray, and really feel the power of the falls. Views of the Floriana Falls, the Devil’s Gorge Canyon and the Iguazu River are hugely impressive. At the end of your visit you'll transfer to the airport for your onward flight.